Chapter

Triceratops was a large and formidable animal, with its long horns (like a rhinoceros) and stout body. But according to all of the books you read, it was a peaceful plant eater. Only one thing you learned about Triceratops bothered you, and that was the pictures of it fighting Tyrannosaurus. In these pictures, this "peaceful" vegetarian was usually shown using its postorbital horns to gore the soft, ventral surface of its carnivorous adversary.

What evidence has been found in the fossil record to indicate that Triceratops, or any other ceratopsian, actually used its horns against predators? If they did not use them for defense, what was their function? What interactions (if any) did Triceratops have with Tyrannosaurus? Did Tyrannosaurus actually hunt or eat Triceratops?